Gas meter



March 18 1924.

J. T. WILKIN GAS METER Filed Aug. 18 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l m! INVENTOR 1 1 go filmfmlkin,

ATTORNEY -March l8 1924.

1,487,042 J. T. WILKIN GAS METER Filed Aug. 18 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR J01, 2 mild,

NEY

Patented Mar. 18 1924.

JOHN T. WILKIN, OF CONNEB8VILLE,- INDIANA.

GAS METER.

Application filed August 18,-1922. Serial No. 582,680.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. WILKIN, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Connersville. in the county of F ayettcand State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Gas Meter, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple, eflicient and accurate gas meter especially for the handling of large volumes.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention. Fig. 1 is a vertical section on line 11 of Fig. 2 of an apparatus embodying my invention, one of the two interengaging lobed impellers being shown in full ines; Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an end elevation of one end, and Fig. 4. an end elevation of the other end.

In the drawings 10, 10 indicate a pair of interengaging lobed impellers journaled on parallel axes to rotate inoppomte directions within a casing 11.

While the lobed impellers 10 may be of any one of the well-known forms commonly found in pumps of the lobed impeller type, it is advisable, in a gas meter construction, that some modifications be made in order to secure maximum capacity and minimum resistance so that the apparatus will offer the least possible obstruction to gas flow.

For the purposes of illustration, I have shown lobed impellers of the epicycloidal type having co-acting epicycloidal surfaces 13 which interengage, and tips 14 which coact with the semi-cylindrical surfaces 15 of the casing 11, said casing being provided at its top with. an inlet 16 and at its bottom with an outlet 17.

In order to reduce resistance to rotation and incidentally to increase the capacity of the apparatus, I think it advisable to make the impellers of skeleton form,'the interengaging surfaces 13 being formed upon the exteriors of curved ribs 18 which extend parallel with the axis of the impeller with their outer ends spaced from tips 14 and their inner ends connected by cross ribs 19 with the middle rib 20 which extends diametrically of the impeller and forms the contacting tips 14.

The waist of the impeller is reduced asmuch as possible so that the supportin shafts 21 may be comparatively small an ribs 22 extending axially at the middle of the central rib 20 are merely for strength.

By the above described arrangement it will be noted that the tip pockets 24 and waist pockets 25 co-operate to provide a large space in which certain portions of the gases are trapped or in which the gases tend to become trap d. If such trapping takes place in limite spaces the increased pressures reduced result in a material drag upon t e impellers, but, by providing these la'rge spaces, the increases in pressure at these points due to what is termed packing in this art, are relatively very small. The provision of the waist pockets permit a ready flow of the gases from one side of an impeller ti to the other as each impeller passes throng the waist of the other.

Strengthening 'ribs 27 are rovided to stiffen t e ribs 18, 19 and 20. e co-action between the ends of ribs 18, 19 and 20 and the casing ends is sufiicient and, therefore, in order to prevent any sticking between the impeller ends and the casing ends, due to tar, moisture, carbon, etc., the end strengthenin ribs 27 are spaced slightly from the en s of the ribs 18, 19 and 20, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2 and consequently, I provide, in this way, elements which serve as scrapers to constantly prevent any accumulation of such impurities and serve to dra these impurities outwardly where they ultimately are dragged alon the surfaces 13 downwardly and ischarged through the outlet.

It IS quite important that the resistance oifered to movements of the impellers shall be reduced to the greatest possible extent and that the structure be accurately producible within the limits of production-accuracy of large machines.

Casin 11 comprises, in addition to the semi-cylindrical portions havin the surfaces 13, end plates 30, 30, one of which is bored, as indicated at 31, to receive a cup 32 to form a su port for one of the shafts 21. Cup 32 is ormed for a. nice sliding fit in bore 31 and is preferably slightly tapered at its free end, as indicated at 33 tofacilitate entrance. Cup 32 is normally held in place in end plate 30 by cap screws 84.

Cu 32 is internally bored, at 35 to receive by slip fit, the outer race 36 of a ball or rollor bearing 37, the inner race 38 of which is pressed upon shaft 21. To facilitate the withdrawal of a bearing, I provide the flanges of cups 32 with threaded openings 32" so that cap screws can be driven through these openings in against the end plate of the casing and thereby force the cup, out of its end plate and at the same time force the inner race of the bearing off of its shaft. By this arran ement any one of the bearings may be with rawn for examination or replacement without disturbing the others and without requiring the removal of the end plate 30.

Each shaft 21 is projected somewhat beyond its bearing 37 and to each projected end is secured a gear 40. The gears 40 mesh in companion pairs and the teeth of the gears are forme to permit considerable back lash and, in order that proper compensation shall be made for the unavoidable shifting of the driving force from one impeller to the other, the two pairs of gears 40 are opositely set as to back lash so that when one impeller is the element containing the unbalanced lever, one pair of gears 40 will drive the other impeller, and when the other impeller embodies the unbalanced lever. the other pair of ears 40 will transmit the driving force to 518 companion impeller. Provision of this back lash is advisable in order that the necessary lubricating oil in which. the gears run, may not become packed between the teeth and offer disastrous resistance .to movement.

In order to avoid the necessity for tightly packing the shafts 21 with packing glands, each end plate 30 is provided with a chamber 41 in which the gears 40 and bearing cups 33 and associated parts are contained, each of these chambersbeing closed by a suitable cover 42, one of which is provided. opposite one of the shafts 21.,-with a small packing gland 43 through which is projected a small shaft 44 connected to the primary element of a register or counter 45. of ordinary type. by means of which the number of rotations of the impeller may be recorded.

The borein each cup 32, through which the adjacent shaft 21 is projected, is large enough to freely receive the shaft 21 so as to 0 er no resistance to the turning of the impeller and so that the gas handled by the meter may freely enter chamber 41.

In order that gears 40 may be properly co-related as' to back lash. each of these gears is bored for a tight-sliding fit with its shaft and is provided with a hub 40' axially split at 40" and provided with clamping bolts 40', the arrangement being such that the gears can be readily angularly shifted on their shafts and then firmly held in place.

In view of the fact that some gases contain ingredients which would injure the lubricating oil in which the gears 40 should run, the interior of chamber 41 is provided, at the bottom, with a rib or dam 50 which thus forms a separating chamber 51 into which the liquids passing out of the interior of casing 11 around the shaft 21 will gather and from thence flow to suitable drain pipes 52, through suitable drainage openings 52' formed through the walls of cups 32 and the hubs of casing 11 in which said cups are supported.

In an apparatus of this kind, the difference in the pressuie between the inlet and outlet sufiicient to maintain rotation of the impellers, would, in many instances, be insufficient to start such rotation and for that purpose I provide means by which the impellers may be started by hand. In, the present drawings, such means comprises a pair of diametrically opposite pins carried by the outer end of the hub of one of the gears 40. The adjacent cover 42 is provided witha packing gland 61 in which is journaled the shaft 62 provided at its inner end with a cross bar 63. Shaft 62 is axially shiftable so that crossbar 63 may be projected into or withdrawn from the plane of movement of the pins 60 and is normally held in withdrawn position by a spring 64. The outer end of shaft 62 is provided with a suitable means by which it may be hand manipulated, as for instance the hand wheel 65.

While the impeller shafts might be arranged in any plane, I think the" best results are obtained by arranging them in a horizontal planeaud bringing the gas through the meter downwardly, as indicated in the present drawings. because. by this arrangement, the co-acting impellers, between the two shafts, have upwardly moving parts so that any liquids or solids entering with the gases can not become pinched between the impellers, but will be carried outwardly and downwardly so as to ultimately issue through the exit.

In order to prevent the incoming gas from impacting directly upon the'npwardly -1noving portions of the impellers, i. e. those portions of the impellers moving oppositely to the desired stream movement, I surmount the inlet 16 with a receiving box the full length and width of the inlet passage 16, and provide it with an inlet 71 in its side so that the gas will enter chamber 70 at right angles to the direction of flow through the inlet 16. By this arrangement I find that the impellers will operate under a very much smaller pressure differential. The provision of pockets at tips and waist prevents the substantial retardation of movement of the impellers by the pocketing of the gases because the pockets provided are of such relatively large volume.

The outwardly opening pockets serve to permit centrifugal force to throw outwardly all accumulating material, such as tar, etc., and thus revent the impellers from getting out of be ance.

I claim as my invention:

1. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interenga in lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are interconnected to rotate in opposite directions, and re istering mechanism operatively connecte to an impeller to be operated thereby, each of said impellers comprising skeletons having outwa lly opening pockets at the tip ends and at the waist,

2. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are interconnected to rotate in opposite directions, and registering mechanism operatively connected to an impeller to be operated thereby, each of said impellers comprising skeletons having outwardly opening pockets at the tip ends.

3. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable intcrengagin lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are interconnected to rotate in opposite directions, and registering mechanism operatively connected to an impeller to be operated thereby, each of said impellers comprising skeletons having outwardly opening pockets at the waist.

4. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengagin lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are interconnected to rotate in opposite directions, and re istering mechanism operatively connects to an impeller to be operated thereby, each of said impellers comprising a central web and two pairs of curved webs connected at their inner ends to the central web by cross webs spaced from the axis of theimpeller so that outwardly opening pockets are rovided in the impeller on both sides of sai cross webs, said curved webs of each impeller being epicyc'loidal in shape with respect to a circleconcentric with said impeller and tangential to an equal circle of the other impeller.

55. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in' which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are interconnected to rotate in opposite directions, and re istering mechanism operatively connecte to an impeller to be operated thereby,-each of said impellers comprising a central web and two pairs of curved webs connected at their inner ends to the central web by cross webs spaced from the axis of the impeller so t at outwardly opening pockets are provided in the impeller on both sides of said cross webs.

6. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are interconnected to rotate in opposite directions, and registering mechanism operatively connected to an impeller to be operated thereby, each of said impellers comprising a central web and two pairs of curved webs connected to the central web by cross webs so that outwardly opening pockets are provided in the impeller between the curved webs and the central web, said curved webs of each impeller being epicycloidal in shape with respect to a circle concentric with said impeller and tangential to an equal circle of the other impeller.

7. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging Iobedimpellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are interconnected to rotate in opposite directions, and re istering mechanism operatively connectie to an impeller to be operated thereby, each of said impellers comprising a central web and two pairs of curved webs, connected to the central web by cross webs so that outwardly openin pockets are provided in the impeller etween the curved webs and the central web 8. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable intcrengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are connected to rolate in oppositedirections, and registering mechanism operatively connected to an impeller to be operated thereby, each of said impellers comprising a central web and two pairs of curved webs connected to the central web by cross websso that outwardly opening pockets are provided in the impeller,

9. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interchan ing, lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are connected to rotate" in opposite directions, registering mechanism operatively connected to an impeller to be operated thereby, each of said impellers comprising a central web and two pairs of curved webs connected to the central web bycross webs so thatoutwardly opening pockets are provided in the impellc'r, and transverse ribs interconnecting the aforesaid webs, said curved webs of each impeller being epicycloidal in shape with respect to a circle concentric with said impeller and tangential to an equal circle of the other impeller.

10. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable inter-engaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, means whereby said impellers are connected to rotate in opposite directions, registering mechanism operatively connected to animpeller to be operated thereby. each of said impellers comprising a central weband two pairs of curved webs connected to the central web by cross webs so that outwardly opening pockets are provided in the impeller, and transverse ribs interconnecting the aforesaid webs.

11. A'gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, said casing comprising end platesthrough which the impeller shafts are projected and having bearings supporting said shafts, two pairs of inter-meshing gears carried by and respectively connecting the impeller shafts at their opposite ends, said ars being formed with substantial back lasi and oppositely set as toback lash, a gas tight enclosure-for said gears and projected shaft ends carried by the casing, a register connectedwith one ofthe impellers, and means accessible from the exterior, but normally non-rotative with the impellers, for starting impeller rotation.

12. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, said casings comprising end' plates through which the impeller shafts are projected and having bearings supporting said shafts, two pairs of intermeshing gears carried b and connecting the impeller shafts at their opposite en s, said gears being formed-with substantial back lash and oppositely set as to backlash, a register connected with one of the impellers, and means accessible from the extenor, but normally non-rotative with the impellers, for starting impeller rotation.

13. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a. casing in which said impellers are mounted, said casing comprising end plates through which the impeller shafts are projected and having bearings supporting said shafts, two pairs of intermeshing gears carried by and connecting the impeller shafts at their opposite ends, said gears being formed with substantial back lash and oppositely set as to back lash, a as tight enclosure for said gears and pro ected shaft ends carried by the casing, and a register connected with one of the impellers.

14. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, said casing comprising end plates through which the impeller shafts are projected and having bearings su porting said shafts, two pairs of intermes mg ears carried by and connecting the impel er shafts at their opposite ends, said gears being formed with substantial back lash and oppositely set as to back lash, and a register connected with one of the im llers.

15. gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, said casing comprising end plates through which the impeller shafts are projected and having bearings supporting said shafts, means whereby said impellers are interconnected to rotate in opposite directions, gas tight enclosing means enclosing said driving connections, and a register connected with one of the impellers.

16. In a lobed impeller structure, the combination with a pair of interengaging r0 tatable lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, said casings being bored in alinement with the impeller shafts, a bearing receiving cup reniovably mounted in each of said bores and having an outwardly presented cup to receive the outer race of an anti-friction bearing, an anti-friction bearing inter osed between each of said cups and its sha and means connecting the impellers to cause rotation in opposite directions.

17. In a lobed impeller structure, the combination with a pair of interengaging rotatable lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, said casings being bored in alinement with the impeller shafts, a bearing receiving cup removably mounted in each of said bores and having an outwardly presented cup to receive the outer race of an anti-friction bearing, and having threaded openings parallel with the axis of the cup, through which screws may be forced against a portion of the supporting casing to cause withdrawal of the cup, an antifriction bearing inter osed between each of said cups and its sha and means connecting the impellers to cause rotation in the opposite direction. i

18. A gas meter comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, said cas ing comprising end plates through which the impeller. shafts are projected and having bearings supporting said shafts without obstructing gas flow, means whereby said impellers are inter-connected to rotate in opposite directions, externally gas-tight enclosing means enclosing said driving connections, a register connected with one of said impellers, and manual means for moving said impellers.

19. A gas meter, comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, said casing com rising end plates through which the impe ler shafts are projected and having bearings supporting said shafts without obstructing gas flow, means whereby said impellers are interconnected to rotate in opposite directions, a gas tight enclosure for said means and pro'ected shaft ends carried by the casing, an a register connected wit one of the impellers.

20. A gas meter comprising two rotatable interengaging lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, two pairs of intermeshing gears connected to and respectively connecting said impellers, outside the impeller chamber, said pairs of gears having substantial backlash and oppositely set as to backlash, gas tight means for enclosing said gears, and a register connected to one of sad impellers.

21. A gas meter comprising two rotatable interenga ing lobed impellers, a casing in which said impellers are mounted, two pairs of intermeshmg gears connecting said impellers, said pairs of gears having substantial backlash and oppositely set as to backlash and a register connected to one of said impellers.

22. A gas meter comprising two rotatable inter-engaging lobed impellers, a case in which said impellers are mounted, gears carried by the respective shaft of said impellers and intermeshing to produce opposite rotation of the impellers, an externally gas-tight enclosure for said gears and adapted to retain lubricant for said gears, there being a drainage space provided in the case between the gear chamber and the impeller chamber in position to receive exudations from the impeller chamber around the impeller shafts, to protect the gears from such exudations.

23. A gas meter comprising a lobed metering element, an enclosin casing, a supporting shaft for the lobe element projected through that portion of the casing element immediately co-operating with the end of the lobed element, an anti-friction bearing for each shaft end arranged beyond that portion of the casing which co-operates with an end of the lobed element, an externally gastight enclosure for each shaft end, there being a drainage passage provided in the casing having ll'S inner end in position between a shaft bearing and that portion of the casing through which the shaft is projected so as to receive exudations from the interior of the casing around a shaft;

In witness whereof. I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 18th day of July, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and twenty-two.

JOHN T. WILKIN.

DISCLAIMER.

1,487,042.Jolm 7'. Wdkin, Connereville, Ind. Gss Min-m. Patent dated Msrch 18, 1924. Disclaimer filed June 20, 1927, by the ssaignee, Oonnerwille Blower 0011mm. Hereby enters its disclaimer to so much of claims 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, I8, 19, 2Q, 21, 22 and 23, tively, as may cover a gas meter as specified in said claims, respectively, in w hich t: bearings for the impeller shafts are not antifriction'ball or roller So tiit said claims above enumerated, and each of them, will cover a gas meter gs specified in said claims, resfiectively, in which the bearings for the impeller shafts ere mtifriction ball or re er bearings.

[0m am July 12, 1927.] 

